Elli is my night owl and is generally the last one to wake up in the morning. Her little body just doesn’t like to go to bed at night. The kids are all in bed by 7:30/8 each night and Connor and Chloe usually nod right off to sleep. But Elli can either be found reading books, performing in front of her audience of stuffed animals/dolls, or in her closet organizing her shoes/clothes. (I know, crazy kid. Leave the messy closet until morning. ;) )

However, last night we told her she could read one book and then it was time for bed. Even though she strung that one book out for a loooooong time, she only read that one book and then went right to sleep. And wouldn’t you know, she was the first one up this morning……..all ready for her first day of Kindergarten. So excited. Completely ready. And chomping right at that bit.

So we headed out the door (15 minutes early), while this squirrely little school girl jumped and wiggled around and told me how ready she was to go. But since we were so early, I told her we better take some pictures so she could look back when she’s 16 and see that at one time, she actually wanted nothing more than to go to school.

I asked her what she was excited for. She told me, “my new dress, my new shoes, and my new backpack”. I laughed and then said, “no, what about school are you excited for?” She told me, “my teacher, and the playground……oh, and my snack.” Ok.

To kill some time, I told her to give me her best Kindergartener smile.

So she smiled real big……..and put her arms up in the air. I then asked, “wait, what are you doing with your arms?“

Oh. Okay. (huh?!?!)

Then Elli asked, “Is it time to go?! Is it time to go?!“ And I told her, “well, we’re still like 10 minutes early to get to the school 15 minutes early. So let’s just wait a few more minutes.”

This is her “awww….harrumph!!” face.

A few more moments passed and I said, “okay, Elli, let’s go. Which way is the school?”

It’s a darn good thing you’re not too old to hold my hand. And yeah, I realize that tomorrow you’ll probably suddenly be too old. So thanks for giving me one more day with my “little” girl.

We began our walk to school but after a short while, she couldn’t contain herself anymore. She dropped my hand and started sprinting to school. And didn’t stop. Once we got there, she became a bit timid. Not hide-behind-me, bury-her-face, timid. Just cautiously watching. And soaking everything in. She is actually a bit bashful around new people and sometimes won’t even answer someone when they ask her a question. (Connor sometimes answers for her. He is her complete opposite, even though he’s younger. :) ) So Steve and I have been reminding her for weeks to look at people when they talk to her and to always answer someone when they ask you a question. Especially her teacher. We have even been giving her some tips on how to make friends. And how to start a conversation with someone. So after the bell rang and her teacher directed her class to form a line, I could see her eyeing the little girl next to her. I then overheard as she leaned over to say, “what’s your name?’ and then, “how old are you?’ and finally, “I like your backpack!” I admit, I cried. She used all the one-liners we gave her to help her make a friend. All in a row. She didn’t act one bit nervous………just happy and excited to meet new people and make new friends.

What a big day. We’re starting the off-to-school thing and the time-for-me-to-let-go-a-bit thing. The hardest part for me is to let someone else watch over her and teach her. Because hey, that’s my job. ;)

But she’ll be fine. And this is so good for her.

And since she’s my first, it will just get easier from here, right? Because surely by the time Chloe (my one-year-old) goes to school, I’ll probably forget to buy her a backpack. Or to pick her up from her first day of school or something. Just kidding…….I won’t do that. Will I? ;)

Comments

I hope she has the best 1st Day of K, ever!
Those first couple of days were rough for me. I didn’t like that I couldn’t talk to them through the day and see how things were going for them. It gets easier! (And is still a big deal with your little one goes too!)

No, you will not forget that stuff, and no it does not get easier. I have 3 boys, the oldest is 9 and he left my side without so much as a glance backwards. My middle son is 5 and he took to preschool almost as well (he is my clingiest child, always by my side) my youngest is 3 so he is still home with me. With each son the first day reminds me of how precious they are, how little they were once, and how little they still are. I remember that baby that was placed in my arms in the hospital and I am awestruck at how much they have grown in so short a time. It does not get easier, but at least I know what to expect after having done it already. I loved this post, thank you for sharing!

Wow, you guys are starting early! We don’t start in Broomfield for 2 more weeks. Anyway, congrats on surviving the first morning! I hope she has a fantastic day. My oldest is starting middle school this year, and this is so much harder than kindergarten was. I am so nervous and scared and sad. I am amazed at how fast the elementary school years went by with him (they’re just starting with my daughter). You’ll definitely get into a routine, and yes, sending the others off will be a bit easier because you’ll be experienced. Here’s to a great school year!

I know. And I thought she’d be so much taller than the other kids (like I always was) but there are lots of tall girlies in her class. I love it!! I can’t believe Penelope is no longer a baby. Crazy! Good to hear from you Laura! :)

Your post made me tear up as well. My son will go to K next year and I am already sad. Even though both of my kids go to day care full time, I still get sad thinking about them getting older. I hope E has a great day!

Oh my gosh… My first born has 3 more years before he goes off to Kindergarten. I wonder if they will let me ride the bus with him on his first day?! Haha! I hope your little one has a great time at school. :)

My oldest is 3 1/2, so we still have two years until he goes to school, but I’m already dreading it… I just love having my little squishies home all day long. Hope that the day went well for both of you!

So cute! Ironically its always the one day you fear the most that can be just perfect. I hope her first day was great. At least she said hi. I was so terrified my first day I didn’t say a word all day.

Your daughter looks darling and so excited! I homeschool my children, so I’ve never experienced the first day of school, and it does look fun. You put it so beautifully, though, about it being “your” job to teach her! Ever considered homeschooling?! ;-) I LOVE your blog. Thanks for all you share with us. And I hope your daughter loved her big day!

my son is 10 and I cried when he went to kindergarten. I cried when he started middle school last year too. My baby started kindergarten last year and I cried even harder. It’s hard to let go of your last one just as the first! :)

And you’re kidding!! You live in Sierra Vista? Yeah, I lived there all 18 years of my life….and then left for college. Crazy! I know it’s changed a lot since I lived there but it’s always home to me! :)

Yeah, I do live in SV. We have lived here for a little over a year. When I first started reading your blog a few years ago, we lived in a different part of AZ. Then my husband was transferred here, and I remember having read on your blog that you were from here. I think that this will be our home for at least the next several years.

She looks absolutely adorable. She must a proud mama make! My older boy was timid with school, but he made plenty of friends. He’s the smallest in his class but seems to make it ok. Your daughter will do fabulous. I love that you gave her one-liners to say. We do that too. My boys don’t start school until the end of the month so I have more time to create some of the projects you showed us, plus more time to prep the boys :-)

I have been loving some of the crafty stuff you do lately. I really love the re-purposing though, I would save a tin can if I could turn it into something wonderful. I am horrible. We even use glass parmesan cheese jars from the store for drinking glasses. Your etching on the cake pan, made me think to do that on those. To pretty them up. Maybe a letter “H” for our last name.

Aww how sweet! Hopefully you made it through the day ok! Sending hugs your way. While in some ways it does get easier as you send the younger ones off to school, it gets harder too. Sending the youngest off was the hardest for me, and THEN just this past June our oldest GRADUATED from high school! Talk about emotional! Enjoy them all! =D

I just love this post. What a cute girl! I have to admit, after reading, I got a bit teary thinking about taking my daughter to her first day of school… and she’s not even 3 yet! :) Have a great day Elli!

This post had me in tears! My youngest starts kindergarten at the end of this month and I am having a hard time letting go. She and I are very close, and though she would prefer our family to be home all together all the time she is really excited about starting kindergarten after watching her big brother go to school for the last 2 years! Seeing how excited your Elli was about her first day (and how cute she looked!) and how well you dealt with it gives me hope that I can get through it without crying my eyes out and standing outside her classroom window all day, you know…just in case she needs me, lol!

Awww Rachel, that has me teared up. You are needed just not stalking her at school. LOL

It’s so hard to be a mama. My first one was so hard to send to school that I homeschooled him for kindergarten. Well, that and he really wasn’t emotionally ready. BUT he’s in public school now and loves it.

It is hard Alicia! One of the reasons I’m so crazy protective of my daughter is that she was VERY ill for almost her entire first year, it was horrible. I almost lost her…more then once. Almost everyone around us was afraid of her-no one wanted ever wanted to hold her because they were afraid something might happen (she was on a monitor to alert us of when she would stop breathing or when her heart rate would get to high.) I think she is so attached to me because I was the only one to ever do anything for her that first year and for me, no matter how long I live, that year will haunt me. Thank God the doctors where finally able to fix her at 11 1/2 months and she is a happy and healthy little girl now! My tears are also of joy because there were too many times I thought she’d never see the first day of kindergarten! I know she’ll be fine, she’ll do great and love every moment of it, but I also know that when she gets home all she’ll want to do is sit in my lap for a good long cuddle because as much as I know that she’s ready for kindergarten she will need some time to adjust to not having me there.

Thanks so much for your encouragement Alicia! It’s so nice to know I’m not the only one having a hard time with my little ones growing up so fast!

I love the fact that my 8 year old boy is small for his age. He still sits in my lap and cuddles. I told him when he’s 16 we might not be able to pull this off. lol He tells me he will still hug and kiss me. I am glad your little girl is well now. She will do GREAT! It’s amazing how resilient kids are.

Oh, I know Rachel! Thinking she may need me……or that I may need to stick up for her, had me so worried. But her teacher is so warm and very on top of things. And you know, those other kindergarteners looked just as worried and sweet. So I’m sure most of the mom’s this morning were just as worried. So after day one, it was just fine. And she’s all excited to do her “homework” and go back tomorrow. Day One = Success. Whew!

I with you! My youngest is just sooooo excited to start Kindergarten. She keeps asking me when the first day of school is! Ashley, your post had me tearing up, too! I cried my eyes out when my son(He’s starting 4th grade…which I just CANNOT believe, either!!!) started Kindergarten and HE went to the same school that I teach at!!! I just don’t know what I will do when my girl starts in just two weeks! It’s so hard to let them grow up! I keep tell both kids to stop growing…just stop NOW! The girl always says, “But, mommy, we can’t! Everything grows!” You can’t argue with that one!

Sweet post! My oldest also starts Kinder at the end of the month and I am a WRECK! I can’t think about it with a straight face. Ughh…how did this happen so very fast? Your sweet girl looked so cute and I’m glad she had a great first day :)

Love this post! My (3rd) baby girl starts Kindergarten soon, and I’m already emotional. So it didn’t get easier that way, but I love that I’m sending her off with her two big sisters. Now I just have Little Man at home, and my kids just figured out that when he goes to Kindergarten my oldest will go to high school–let’s just not talk about it.

how fun! my first also started K today. i think we must have kiddos the same ages, as i have a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old as well. my little lady practically shrugged me off when i tried to kiss her goodbye in her classroom this morning. sooooo excited for this fun new adventure she is embarking on! good luck to your elli!

What a big day for you two! I hope all went well, that she had a wonderful day and made lots of friends, and that Mom, you were okay, too! I am not looking forward to this day for my oldest (now 3 1/2).

I absolutely love that you talked to her about how to make eye contact and ways to break the ice and make friends. Such an important skill for kids to have. And, look, she did it perfectly! Congrats, mom and dad, on sending your first born off to school. :)

My son will start school next year and also goes to bed late and wakes up late. He makes friends easily but is pretty sensitive. I’m nervous about him starting school, but I’ve heard we have the best schools in the area (we just moved 3 weeks ago). Hope her school year is wonderful!

I’m so thankful we homeschool because I could never do this! The time with our little ones is so short and we have so little time to share our values with them. I just can’t even imagine letting someone else teach my child and have all that special time with them. I love her outfit, she is just adorable!

thanks for posting this! i couldn’t agree more! my oldest is starting preschool in a couple of weeks and i can’t bear the thought of someone else being the one to look after him. i’m sure his teacher is super nice, but still…. thanks again – i’m glad i’m not the only one :)

I now have 3 in school, this year they will be in 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade. I’ll have the baby who is currently 5 months at home with me. For me it got harder with each one. My oldest still cries on the first day of school. She begs me to home school her. While the other two proudly tell me bye and that they love me.

We have one more month of summer vacation, I don’t want to think about it. Because that means I have to go back too ( I teach preschool). My oldest will be attending Kindergarten in my building this year, I’m excited to see him here and there through out the day. I just can’t believe that this year I will be taking one of my kiddos to work with me every morning.

My oldest starts kindergarten in a month and is so excited! I know I’ll cry like a baby which will be super embarrassing since I TEACH at the school so she’ll be closer to me now then she has been for the past four years! There’s no helping it though. I cry at the drop of a hat since having kids – apparently my hormones are super tuned! Ha!

My baby girl is going off to college next week and I’m sure it will feel like the first day of kindergarten all over again…at least for me. I followed the school bus on her first day just to make sure she got on and off in the right place. How in the world am I supposed to leave her on her own in a strange city?

Super cute, loved her first day of school outfit. Your post made me excited for my kids to start school (just under 3 weeks). I have one going into 3rd grade and my baby is starting Kindergarten. Can hardly believe it! Oh and I didn’t forget to buy him a backpack so don’t worry! ;)

How lovely. It will be lovely to look back on that someday. I was still teary when my son left for college…and when he started his first professional job (2 months ago) – he’s 31 now. They are always your baby and each new step is a change in your life. Your little one is adorable!

So sweet! Thanks for sharing. My only child is starting preschool on Monday. I am nervous for her. I know she will do good but she does have some issues that we are in therapy for and her teacher is aware of them but I am still nervous. She did good at Mother’s Day Out twice a week so I am sure she will do good in preschool….right?!

So sweet of you to share such an important day with us, my daughter is only 3, and this story made me tear up. I homeschooled her up to about six months ago and she started to go to a “Moms Morning Out” group at our church. She loved it, but I missed her, and I realized I was having a hard time keeping up with her and that she needed some “kid time”. Now she will be starting preschool two weeks from today, just in the mornings, and only for three days out of the week, but it is hard to let that “mommy cord” stretch for me, so I can only imagine what kindergarten must feel like. I have found that I LOVE to hear the stories that she comes back home with though, and I put a little note in her lunch box if/when she does stay for lunch. It makes me feel better, and she usually brings them home to sleep with. Kids are great…I say they bring out the best in all of us! Enjoy those first day of school stories with her when you pick her up!

Ahhhh so cute! I am tearing up just reading your post. I have two years until my baby girl goes to school. Her birthday is late so she will be 6 years old. My daughter sounds alot like your daughter. She is very shy in front of people at first and alot of times won’t answer questions. Good tips on reminding her to look people in the eye and answer their questions. And love the idea of helping them have questions to make new friends. I hope your daughters first day went great. Loved all the pictures and her outfit looked super cool!

Congratulations on getting your first off to school! She looks adorable.

I’m about to send my youngest to kindergarten. Two more weeks. I have mixed feelings, but admit to mostly being really excited to be at this new point in life. :) In fact, I only have one more year until my oldest starts high school, and I think that might bring more tears than kindergarten.

You are all so young and reading this post and these responses has brought so many memories back!!!! My oldest is now 45, his brother is 41, their oldest sister is 32 and the baby is 30!!!!! I have 9 grandmiracles!!!! I have walked all four of my children to school, hand in hand for their first day. All but the baby gave me a hug, a kiss and walked off like they’d been doing this for years. The baby, well, she wouldn’t let go of my hand so I walked her a little closer to her line….reminded her of all the fun she would have, of all the friends she would make and that I would be back to pick her up in just a little while…..She went in, but when she looked back her little chin was trembling and I just kept smiling and gave her a thumbs up!!!! Went home and cried like a baby all morning….showed up way too early to retrieve her and she wouldn’t leave….she wanted to stay…..LOL!!!!!! All turned out okay for all of them and now, I am getting pics of the first day of kindergarten for the last 17 years!!!! Enjoy your babies, let them become independent, keep a close eye out, but let them battle their own battles. THE most important thing you can do for them is LISTEN to every word, no matter how busy you are. IT IS ALL important to them!!!!! Hug them tight….time flies!!!!! Thanks for the memories!!!!!! ~Louise

UGH! You’ve got me balling!!! My oldest (Ella) is about to start pre-school, 4 years old, only 2 days a week but still I feel ya! I am so excited/nervous for her because she is the shy, hide behind me, bury her head in me and not look or talk at anyone girl! She is also a night owl!!! hahaha So glad it went so well for you and your sweet little Elli!

My 6 year old is shy in the exact same way. He clams up as soon as he has to talk to someone else in my presence, especially if he doesn’t know them. And his little sister will gladly answer for him and instantly makes friends. We’ve been coaching Jack in the same way. The most amazing thing to me is that he still seems fearless…wasn’t even nervous about starting a new school for 1st grade.

Teared up a bit. I have enjoyed following your kiddos. I had five daughters and it didn’t get easier to take them to that first day of school, and I had a lot of practice! Miss Elli has a good foundation from home. That sweet girl will be the teacher’s pet by the end of the week. Will you post how her first day went?

What a big step! Teared up a little bit at your little girl making new friend… suddenly they just seem to grow up!

And it actually doesn’t get easier… I still feel heart pain every morning when I dropped my toddler to day care… and she has been attending for more than a year… but the kids, they are quite resilient :)

Aww! My oldest just started kindergarten this week too! Such a hard thing for us newbies… But it seems like she was just as ready to go as my kiddo! I thought it was a southern AZ thing to start so early in August! Good to know we aren’t alone :)

i can’t event think about my almost 5 year old starting school in a few weeks. doesn’t help that i have pregnancy hormones added in! oy! i’m going to be a crying mess on the first day for sure. my daughter has picked out the same dress for her first day. i have to ask here the leggings and backpack are from?

Oh, Ashley, I love reading your blog because its like a conversation with a good friend. I teared up when I read how you’d coached Elli up and then heard her use the lines. We’ve done the same with our two. I taught kindergarten before becoming a SAHM, so those first days of school are special to me. And while I was so pumped for both of mine to start and so proud of them, I’ll admit there were tears on my part. I like to say they were tears of joy. I was so proud of them and happy for them to start on their new adventures and a little in awe that they were going to be with someone else all day who is great and nice and kind…just not me.
I’m so glad Elli was so excited about it and did so well. It does get easier with each kid, but I doubt very much you’ll forget to buy a backpack for Chloe. What you’ll forget to do is check her homework folder and sign that silly form that’s due tomorrow but she didn’t mention to you and you’re running out the door to get them all to school on time with at least one choking down breakfast on the way when Chloe asks about it and then you’ll be searching for a pen so you don’t look like that Mom–the one who doesn’t check her kids’ folders….oh wait, is that only me??? I doubt it. :)
I hope the love of school and making friends continues!!!

I had my first “first day of school” 12 years ago with my now 16 year old daughter. We now are starting her 11 grade year so next year will be one of the hardest for me I think. Tho in Oregon we don’t start till the weds after labor day I have a week more with my son. Kinder doesn’t start till the 9-11 for him. I think it harder with my boys than my daughter she so much more outgoing than they are. Both are pretty shy with people they don’t know. Pretty much figure I going to be in tears that first day.

Tear up reading this, and It’s so different between Asian mama and you, Ashley… Kids here cries (rather than their mother) whilst the moms hid behind the window watching. My little baby girl just turned 6.5 months old, I cannot imagine her going to school and letting someone else to do my job, ie teach her and taking care of her. You have done great!

AH! Today, my sweet little girl graduated from Pre-K, so I looked at your graduation post & came over here… only to be brought to tears thinking about when my girl goes off to KINDERGARTEN in just 70 short days. Is it sad that I totally had knots in my tummy reading through this, wondering how my girl will react to making new friends at kindergarten? *tear*